Pastor Darcy
Earlier in December, I went back to my old neighborhood in Alexandria for our annual Christmas caroling! It is always a joy to see old friends and neighbors and to sing carols. It was fun to sing with and for people of different nationalities and languages. Some people have lived in the neighborhood for 40 + years and one family had just moved in 2 days before this event. There were new born babies and young children and those who are young at heart yet for whom getting around is more difficult. For each person, there was a joy in receiving the good news of Jesus' birth through song. There were expressions of gratitude for welcoming people to the neighborhood, for sharing the joy of the season and for being the light for some people for whom this is a difficult season. My heart was touched and filled with gratitude for the reminder that the good news of Christ's birth is truly for EVERYONE and that this good news continues to bring love, light, peace and joy into people's lives.
While this Christmas season will soon be coming to a close, the good news continues. I invite you to read through this newsletter to hear about the opportunities to know, live, and share this good news at LCOC and beyond.
Thank you
Dear People of LCOC,
Jesus came down so that we might have love, light, peace and joy! Through the Christmas Eve and Day services and the meal in between the Christmas Eve services these gifts shone brightly as we gathered to celebrate the gift of Jesus' birth. Thank you for the time, talents, prayers, and gifts that were shared by all to make this a meaningful experience!
Also, thank you for your generous Christmas gift. It continues to be a great joy for me to serve as the pastor of LCOC. I am looking forward to what God will make possible through the people and ministry during 2017!
Wishing you and your families a Merry Christmas and a joy filled New Year!
Pastor Darcy
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Council President
Sharing in God's Mission at
Lutheran Church of the Covenant
Dear brothers and sisters-in-Christ
,
"There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." (1 Corinthians12:4-7)
This scripture was read on Sunday, December 18, 2016 at the Installation of LCOC's Elected Church Leaders. As your new president, I listened closely to what duties I was being asked to accept and faithfully carry out on your behalf. What stood out to me was "You are to seek to involve all members of this congregation in worship, learning, witness, service, and support, so that the mission of Christ is carried out in this congregation, in the wider church, and in the whole world." To all that I was asked, I responded, "I will and I ask God to help and guide me." I feel that God is calling me to serve Him in this way and He is calling you to work alongside me in that service.
So, I also paid close attention to your response when you were asked, "Will you support these, your elected leaders, and will you share in the mutual ministry that Christ has given to all who are baptized?" Your response was, "We will, and we ask God to help us." How exciting that God is calling us all to work together in our mutual mission as a congregation!
Please know that I will continue to pray for all of you, and I ask that you pray daily for all your brothers and sisters here at LCOC and that we are carrying out God's will for us in this place, in the community, and in the world. I ask that if you have any questions, concerns, suggestions, comments, etc. that you feel free to talk to me (in person, by phone (703-670-8365), or through email
roger.jo@verizon.net
). But more than anything, I ask that we all remember never to limit what God can do through us in carrying out our mutual missions!
May God bless you all as you are a blessing to me and many others,
Love,
Jo Ann Rudy
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GATHER
to worship God and fellowship with the community
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| Thanksgiving Service 2016 |
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Worship
Highlights- January 2017
Welcome to Laurie Cogmetta!
On January 1
st, we welcome Laurie Cogmetta as the interim organist. Laurie is not new to LCOC as she has periodically played for LCOC as a supply organist. Please welcome her to LCOC!
- LCOC worship in January includes the 1st Sunday of Christmas, and the 1st thru 4th Sundays After Epiphany, which is on Friday, January 6th.
- Lectionary notes:
- January 1st, 1st Sunday of Christmas & Name of Jesus (one service at 10 AM) (color White)
- Isaiah 63: 7-9 prophesies that God's own presence brings salvation
- Psalm 148 proclaims that the splendor of the Lord is over earth and heaven
- Hebrews 2:10-18 tells us not to fear death because Jesus has conquered death
- Luke 2:21 describes the naming of Jesus
- January 8th (1st Sunday after Ephiphay- Color White) (return to services at 8:30 and 11:00 AM)
- Isaiah 42:1-9 foretells of God's servant Israel having the spirit to bring justice
- Psalm 29 sings of voice of the Lord upon the waters lifts
- Acts 10: 34-43 proclaims the good news of God's inclusive forgiveness in Jesus' name
- Matthew 3:13-17 is the account of Jesus baptism by John
- January 15th (2d Sunday after Epiphany- Color Green)
- Isaiah 49:1-7 is Israel's acknowledgement as God's secret weapon
- Psalm 40:1-11 proclaims the author's love in doing God's will
- 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 tells of the ways that God enriches and sustains the church in Corinth
- John 1:29-42 is the Baptist's witness to Jesus initiating a chain of sharing testimony
- January 22d (3d Sunday after Epiphany- Color Green)
- Isaiah 9:1-4 prophesies of the joy the tribes of Israel will experience when God appears
- Psalm 27:1-9 sings that the Lord is both light and salvation
- 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 tells a fractious church to share the unified outlook of the gospel
- Matthew 4:12-23 is Jesus proclamation of God's reign and call of the first disciples
- January 29th (4th Sunday after Epiphany- Color Green)
- Micah 6:1-8 empowers justice, loves loyalty to God, and walks in God's service
- Psalm 15 asks who may abide upon the Lord's holy hill
- Matthew 5:1-12 names those who are blessed in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount
Thank you all for bearing with me for the past year in Worship. As I move on to Education, Phil Overholt returns to the LCOC council to lead Worship. Wilbur Snyder
Nativity Under the
Christmas Tree at LCOC
LCOC members have you seen the beautiful 20-piece Nativity Set under our big Christmas tree in the sanctuary? It was donated by Colette and Lloyd Lyngdal and has enhanced our wonderful decorations this season. If you get a chance, take a close look as it is intricately designed and has lots to see. And, the Baby Jesus arrived right on time and is with his mother and father in the stable.
Thanks Lyngdals for your generosity!
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| German Advent Tea 2016 |
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Fellowship
Our Advent Tea/Coffee's were, as usual,loaded with delicious food from around the world and very well attended. Thank you to everyone who participated.
What a wonderful time of fellowship!
Please watch for the sign up for our Annual Chili Cook Off on January 21st at 5:00 pm. Get out those recipes and come compete and try to win the "Golden Spoon" !
blessings,
Tricia, Ray & Cindi
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| Prayer Breakfast |
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Our next meeting is January 14th
at 7:30 am
in the DFH.
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| LCOC Prayer Garden |
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Community Prayer Group
The LCOC community prayer group meets the second Saturday of each month from 7:30 am to 9 am in the Work Room. We share prayers of concern and numerous praises along with a strong cup of coffee. We invite anyone who has concerns or praises to make them known to Colette L., Rita K., JoAnn R. Or Lorelei D. We offer this time to the community and congregation to join us for prayer, openly or privately. We will meet again on January 14th, at 7:30 am.
Matt. 21:13 - my house will be called a house of prayer,.....
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GROW
in our relationship with God through prayer, Bible Study, and service
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Adult Education
Starting in January:
Animate Series: Faith
Topics to include:
God: Faith is a Quest
Religion: Spirituality is not enough
Jesus: The Revolution of Love
Salvation: Abundant Life Now
Cross: Where God is
Bible: A Book Like No Other
Church: An Imperfect family
Stay tuned for more details and invite your friends to be a part of this series.
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New Study on Wednesday mornings at 10:00 am
beginning on December 14th:
Matthew: Being Discipled by Jesus
What would it be like to be discipled by Jesus?
What would he teach us about relationships, priorities,
wealth and his coming kingdom?
What would we learn from his actions?
You are invited to be a part of this study and to deepen our understanding of the Gospel of Matthew which is the focus for this church year.
Join us, the coffee is ready!
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Education
After moving from Worship to Education in this Council, I will support Diane, Stacey, Ray and
the high school class
as required, to include substituting when they are out of town. Pastor will continue leading the adult class as covered in other sections of this newsletter. If anyone has new or different ideas to liven any part of the LCOC spiritual education program, please contact the Pastor, or contact me at
Wilbur Snyder
"People must have righteous principals in the first,
and then they will not fail to perform virtuous actions."
-Martin Luther
You are invited to be a part of the Sunday learning opportunities for ALL ages at 9:45.
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Shekinah 2016
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Confirmation Corner
As the confirmation class finished learning about the Laws (Commandments) that were passed down from God, in Judges we discussed the judges that God provided to help the Israelites navigate through difficult times. There were 12 judges; some of the ones we discussed were Deborah, Samson and Barak, with Deborah being the only female judge. In the book of Ruth we compared her story to what the confirmands may be going through today. The story is about outsiders and national identity and all sorts of issues that are as contentious and relevant today as they were in Ruth's day. Remember, God is continually present where God seems most absent: in uncertainty and doubt, at the margins of society, with those who lack power and seek justice.
The Israelites were surrounded by nations with kings who had land, wealth, and power. The Israelites were sick of being ruled by foreign kings, they started asking God to give them a king, too. In the midst of their suffering, they forgot that they had God on their side and no earthly king could compare. God said no, but gave them the judges. But that didn't cut it and the Israelites persisted. God allowed them to have kings and we discussed three: Saul, David, and Solomon. Each of them had moments of greatness and moments of serious failure.
The Israelites were called to live as God's people, distinct from other nations, in order to radiate God's benevolence and grace to the world. Instead, they lost their way over and over again. They were continually conquered by neighboring kingdoms. We talked about the Babylonian Captivity and that it was not a punishment, it was the consequence of lost identity and a failure to trust in God's call. The story gives us a way of understanding sin as more than just bad things we do. The core of sin is our refusal to bear the image of God's goodness in the world. Also, the lesson is that in spite of all of this, God never abandons the Israelites nor will he abandon us.
Before we let out of our last class before Christmas, I let the class watch a clip from the series, The Bible, which was the birth of Jesus Christ. I ask that we all remember the true meaning of Christmas and hope you all had a merry one!
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Ray Sutton
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Prayer Opportunities
Prayer Chain Ministry:
Please send an email to prayerchain@lcocdalecity.org
or call the Prayer Chain Lead at 571-210-1979
Free Ceaseless Prayer App:
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Youth Group
Join us at our monthly meetings on the second Tuesday of each month starting January 2017!
See you on January 10th at 6:00 pm
For any questions please contact:
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GIVE
of our resources, time, and talents in response to God's extravagant generosity towards us
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| Stop Hunger Now 2016 |
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Stewardship
Stewardship:
We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light.
- Mary Dunbar
On January 14, 2017, we will join together again to assemble 20,000 meals for Stop Hunger Now.
For our 3rd annual Stop Hunger Now event we are teaming with the Woodbridge Rotary Club to pack 20,000 meals.
The cost of each meal is $.29 and due to the generosity of the people of Lutheran Church of the Covenant and Rotary, we have exceeded the amount needed!
On January 14th at 9:30 am we will gather to pack these meals. You are invited to be a part of this fun event for people of all ages!
Sign up and bring your friends!
Sign-up sheet is posted on the Entrance Hall bulletin board or
email the church office at office@lcocdalecity.org
"...They sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted." (John 6:10-11)
Many thanks!
Denise Wilder and Brian Richard, Stewardship Co-chairmen
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Amazon Smile:
Amazon members can help support LCOC while you shop! Click on the link below and pick Lutheran Church of the Covenant as your favorite organization and start shopping! We will receive a percentage of the sale.
Good shop:
Support Lutheran Church of the Covenant when you search the Web at goodsearch.com or shop online with Goodshop.com.
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Dear LCOC members
We will be serving meals at the Hilda Barg Homeless
Center on February 5,6 and 7. Once again we ask
that instead of providing a meal, you make a
donation
so that we can purchase the food and do all the cooking. A menu will be posted for you to see what we will be serving. Please sign up, put your donation in the envelope, and give your donation to the church office. Thank you for your continued support to those less fortunate in our community.
Blessings,
Sandy Strychowski
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| New Classroom |
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Property
This winter season has been very cooperative for completing outdoor tasks. The Rudy's, with the help of others, continue to do a great job cleaning up after fall. They are truly a blessing. The Heating and A/C units continue to plug along without issue. We have ordered a replacement A/C unit for the new classroom with funds raised during the Oktoberfest and it should arrive in 5 weeks. Remember, During the Holiday Season, to be safe and Thankful.
Mark and Roger
The Property Guys
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GO
forth to serve others and share the story of God's love for all
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OPPORTUNITIES TO USE OUR GIFTS
AT LCOC AND BEYOND
We are fortunate to be able to use our gifts that God has provided us through a variety of ways. Ongoing ways to use your gifts are to sign up to be a part of supporting Neabsco Elementary in many ways and in being a part of the gardening team at LCOC to help keep our landscape beautiful. Future experiences involve Breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus, Breakfast with the Easter Bunny, (If you have questions, please see Jo Ann Rudy), and helping with Vacation Bible School - (all at LCOC).
When we choose to give our time, energy and talents to serve others, we are taking part in God's work to share the love of Christ and give God glory. With God working in us and through us, we can make a difference!
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| I WALK for ACTS |
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Evangelism 
BREAKFAST WITH SANTA AND MRS. CLAUS
We continue to thank and praise God for all the children and their parents (70-75) who came to our "Breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus" on Saturday, December 3, 2016 at LCOC. Our fifteen Action Team Members portrayed Santa, Mrs. Claus, and Santa's Elves, and were welcoming and hospitable. They cooked the sausages and pancakes; and they served the food, juice, milk and coffee to our guests. We had a room where three elves provided a variety of activities for the children, as well as, an opportunity to help decorate a Christmas tree, and listen to stories being read. We had a corner of the fellowship hall dedicated to Santa and Mrs. Claus. One of our elves made cushions for the Claus's chairs which were loaned to us by another elf. Our creative elf also painted the backdrop which represented the Claus's home. Elves also decorated woodland trees with birds which were a part of the Claus's landscape. Elves adorned the Claus's Christmas Tree with 200+ candy canes and one elf made Grinch Pill Packets (pills were green M&Ms) for on the tree. Most of the funds for this event were provided through Thrivent Financial and a generous donation from Santa and Mrs. Claus. LCOC congregational members bought reading books, coloring books and crayons. These gifts were wrapped by several elves. Each child that attended our event was presented a gift and candies from Santa and Mrs. Claus as they departed. Thanks to Diane DeGroodt for providing Santa's outfit and to the LCOC Piecemaker's (quilting group) who bought the material and made Mrs. Santa's entire outfit. The event was a huge success and we are grateful to Thrivent Financial for supporting us in this effort and for the following Action Team Members: Melvin and DeLoris Bellinger; Tricia Schilder; Heather, Mark, and Sarah Gimmi; Roger Rudy; Pastor Darcy; Patti Beattie; Susie Rose; Darla Ferris; Michael Eberle; Jillian Rosenquist; and Wilbur Snyder. We had a wonderful time serving the children, their parents, and our Lord in this way. Thanks to everyone who made this such a special morning! The day after the event we received the following note from Mrs. Jennifer Brooks from Neabsco Elementary: "Thank you for putting so much joy on the faces of so many children yesterday. You are a wonderful gift to us".
Loving, Jo Ann Rudy (One of the older elves)
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Mend-A-House
October 8, 2016 |
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Project Mend-A-House
Garage Clean-Up
Would you like to participate in the next project?
contact Ralph Morse
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Dear Pastor Darcy and the LCOC Congregation, 
We want to send our thanks for the continuing support you all provide for the Horticultural Therapy Program. We especially appreciate you allowing us to use the entryway of the church for our annual craft sale which raised close to $5,000 from all of our sale sites. We could not do it without all of you!
The raffle drawings were held on December 15. This year, the winner of the beautiful quilt made by Harriet Richard was won by a family member of one of the HT Program participants. The lovely afghan, also made by a talented LCOC member Susie Rush, was won by one of the HT Program participants - Leonard T.
Wishing you all a happy holiday and peace in the new year,
The Friends of Horticultural Therapy Board
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Thank you notes: 
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In Nature at LCOC
Dear LCOC Family Member ~
If you've never spent time in any of the outside sanctuaries surrounding our church, you are missing an opportunity to feel God's awesome peace and His presence. Even though it may be cold outside, there is still lots going in the LCOC landscape that will delight you in a variety of ways. Allow me to take you on a walk through some of the gardens as we explore what happens in early winter:
- Most of the deciduous trees are bare now, but the evergreens are standing strong and look extra lovely in their green attire against their naked neighbors.
- The Hollies and the Heavenly Bamboo continue to produce their pretty red berries and our wildlife friends are happy about that.
- All of the perennials have gone dormant and are getting a well-deserved rest.
- You may notice that a bird feeder has been erected outside the upper and lower fellowship hall windows. When the HT participants left, they took their feeder, so now we have one of our own to enjoy. It took a while for the birds to realize that we cared enough to provide them a feeding station, but now you can experience Cardinals, Black-Capped Chickadees, Doves, Finches, Sparrows, Juncos, Blue Jays, etc. It's fun to watch them flit in and out of the area as they enjoy a meal.
- The squirrels continue to make sure their nests are secure for the long winter ahead and they seem extra excited about the abundance of acorns on the grounds at our church.
- At first glance, the outdoor sanctuaries may look barren, but make sure you look again and again, as you are sure to see the beauty of nature at its finest in this early winter landscape.
You are encouraged to take a self-guided tour through our wonderful landscape here at LCOC. But be ready - you are going to experience God's peace and presence - so enjoy this special time with our Creator! Next month, we'll see what's happening as winter is in full swing.
"How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, if there were no winter in our year. "
Thomas Wentworth Higginson, 1861
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Happy Birthday to you!
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JANUARY
1 John M.
6 Mary S.
9 Braydon J.
10 Kevin B.
10 Victoria G.
13 Roger W.
15 Biz E.
15 Tony H.
15 Nathaniel O.
17 Heather W.
18 Gwyneth H.
24 Rich C.
24 Sarah G
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28 Gwen B.
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Happy Anniversary
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Barry & Karen S.
January 5, 2002 |
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Baptism Anniversaries
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Jessica B.
Michael B.
Annmarie B.
Joel B.
JoAnn E.
Heather G.
Joseph H
Joshua M.
Ryan S.
Troy S.
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Homebound Members
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Ruth J.
Jean J.
Mary S. |
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Members in the Military
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Tyler R.
Tom M.
Ryan L.
Samuel B.
Please remember to keep our service members and their families in your prayers as they serve our country. If you have someone to add to this list, please contact the office.
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Flower Calendar
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The altar flowers for this month are given to the glory of God and contributed by:
January 1
The members of LCOC
January 8
January 15
Les & Karen B. in memory of their granddaughter Beth
January 22
Tricia S. in memory of Mom
Mark & Heather G. in celebration of Sarah's 14th birthday
January 29
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OTLWB Book Club
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The Book Club is meeting on January 9th
(at 12:30 p.m. in the workroom)
to discuss
Still Life
by
Louise Penny
If you would like more information, please see Sandy S. or Diane D.
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Take a look at our web site
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Office Hours:
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Monday - Friday
9:00 am - 1:30 pm
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